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Zack Villere's Cardboard City

Tell us a little bit about yourself?

 

I'm 24 years old, and I’m from Covington, Louisiana, and I’m like 5'8 or ‘9. I make music—I just put an album out not too long ago.

 

What was growing up in Louisiana like?

 

It was dope. I grew up in a small town. My dad was the mayor of our town when I was really little. As I got older, we’d go to the grocery store and he knew everybody. It was a small town and I like that feeling of knowing people at the stores you go to. It’s really nice. And being able to walk around a lot––me and my friends would just walk to the downtown Covington area and just skate. In Junior high we would walk to our school all of that was really nice. I like walking, and that community familiarity. It was great.

 

Your music seems to contain a little bit of pop, a little bit of indie combined with a plethora of other things. How do you describe the sound of your music?

 

As whack as it sounds I would just prefer not to describe it. Typically just ‘cause there are so many things that I’m thinking about—that I’m influenced by that other people might not hear, so it makes it harder for me to categorize myself. Other people can be like, "Oh he’s this," and usually it kind of sucks to hear that, but I can’t really do anything about how they feel. I like a lot of music. I like a lot of R&B. That’s where I get a lot of music inspiration for melodies. But other than that, I kind of just listen to whatever.

I’m just writing about how I feel.

 

In your new album, Cardboard City, you have two features with J’von on "No Country" and with Dijon on "Rope Swing." How did you go about choosing them?

 

J’von is somebody I’ve known for a long time; he’s on my last album too. We’ve made a lot of music together and I thought he was sick. So yeah he had to be on this album. And then for Dijon, I’ve known him for a couple of years and we made one other song—I like making music with him, it’s fun. So before this album had even really started to come together I had written a fake tracklist, and one of the songs was Rope Swing about the rope swing I had back in Covington. So I was like, Dijon would be cool for that, and it would be cool if we hopped into his world for a second and transfer the song to fit his stuff in the middle and then come back.

 

Your music has a relatable song for nearly everyone. How do you go about crafting up lyrics?

 

For lyrics, I like writing a lot. I think it’s really cool and I think it’s very satisfying for me to hear certain stuff in writing. Just like it’s satisfying to hear a chord change or a really nice melody. I like the idea of writing a story. As for relatability I feel like everyone kind of goes through the same shit or slightly different circumstances a lot of the time. Not everybody goes through the same stuff if you know what I mean. I don't know––I don’t see it as relatable, I’m just writing about how I feel. 
 

What inspires the creation of your music?
 

My friends, art, drawing, paintings, and movies. A lot of times I’ll go see a movie and leave feeling super inspired.
 

What’s your favorite song on Cardboard City?
 

My favorite song on Cardboard City, I’d say "Snoopy." All the voices you hear on "Snoopy" are all my friends and my friends' parents and stuff. I just got everybody to send me voice memos, and then I tried to compile them all together so it could sound like a busy street corner. I just like the chords and I like that song. "Superhero Strength" and "Grateful" too, those are probably my favorites.

What is your favorite movie at the moment?

 

Little Women, but I watched it four times and I think that was a mistake.The first three times I saw it I was obsessed with it. And then I watched it one more time, and I was like fuck. Everytime I see it I focus on different details, and the fourth time I felt like I’ve seen it all—I kind of checked out. I fucked myself over, but I still love that movie so much though. Little Women was fucking dope.

 

Your Instagram is filled with pieces of your visual artwork—when did you first start drawing?

 

I started drawing in elementary school. The way that it works in Louisiana, there's a gifted and talented program which is a really dumb name. Anyways if you were good at art you could try out. My dad is an artist. He makes these fish out of tin, and my aunt is a painter. I think I always thought art was really cool, but I was just really bad at drawing. And I’m still bad at drawing—I’m trying to get better.

 

What is one goal you have for this year?
 

Finish my next album.

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